This recipe uses soy milk “buttermilk” instead of yogurt or sour cream, which are commonly used in banana bread. It’s easy to make, just whisk together the soy milk and vinegar or lemon juice and leave to thicken. The texture will change quickly and dramatically. The acidity of the vinegar/lemon juice helps to activate the baking soda and encourage the banana bread to rise, while the thickened soy milk keeps the cake lovely and moist.
Because of the acidity in the “buttermilk”, you’ll need to work quickly once you add the dry ingredients to the wet. For this reason, make sure your loaf tin is greased and lined, and ready to go so that you can transfer your batter to the tin as soon as everything is mixed.
I like to use small chocolate chips as they distribute more evenly through the banana bread and don’t sink to the bottom of the tin. If you can’t get hold of vegan dark chocolate chips which are nice and small, be sure to chop some larger chips into smaller pieces before you begin making the recipe.
This banana bread is REALLY moist, so don’t be surprised if it fails the tooth-pick test. It’s very likely the batter will still be sticky in the center of the banana bread once baked. Don’t worry – allow it to cool fully and you’ll find the banana bread keeps cooking for a little while after you take it out of the oven.
